9. Information Guild

Angles Street was a big area. The population consisted of more than a thousand people. As a result, Helena was not familiar with every inch of the place. She never visited the west part of the street or the small dark alleys since Helena had no reason to do so.

Helena followed Adham to the mercenary guild. They went from an alley to a small street. It was different from the Angles Street she knew. Their surrounding was quiet, dingy and shabby. The further they went, the shadier and scarier the people she met. Helena felt uncomfortable by the deadly glare from the resident. 

She had expected this side of Angles Street. A place where the law did not reach was a common occurrence and existed everywhere. Even Noble Street had its own shady business going on. 

"Don't stare too much. It is a sign of your first visit here. You might get robbed or kidnapped."

"My decision to bring Violet on this trip was correct," Helena stated inside her mind. She stopped looking around and asked Adham a question. "I thought you were just a normal mercenary. How do you know the location of the information guild?"

"Mercenary is a job relying on information. It is common for us to know one or two information guilds. The outcome of our job sometimes is valuable intel. We got additional income from getting new news for them."

They arrived at the destination. The information guild building appeared like a tavern. It was a two-story building made from bricks. The wall had a few cracks and looked worn out from the outside. 

Helena went inside with Violet and Adham. It was full of a bunch of rowdy people. Many men were drinking, eating or talking while some women accompanied them. While Helena and Violet looked around, Adham walked to the counter and greeted the attendant. 

"How do you do, Lisa?"

Lisa was a woman in her twenties. The brunette wore a waitress outfit and stood behind the bar. Her green eyes sparkled when she saw Adham. "It's rare to see you on holiday, Whitesmithe. I see you brought some friends. Is one of them your girlfriend?"

"Stop teasing me. I am here for some meal."

Lisa chuckled at him. "What is your order?"

 "I want a medium rare steak and a blue grape tonic. These two will have the same order."

The woman nodded at his request. "We will serve you in the back. Please come in."

Helena did not understand why she must have a meal in a separate room, but she and Violet followed Adham. Unlike the tavern, the backroom had no customers. Lisa pushed some bricks off the wall and revealed a hidden door. Helena was amazed and applauded the instrument. "Wow, I thought such a mechanism just existed in fiction!"

Adham grinned. "The blue tonic drink is real anyway. It uses lemon instead of grape. You should try it."

Lisa held the door and turned her head toward them. "Are you going to be their guide, Whitesmithe?"

He shrugged his shoulder. "I've already received the payment."

Behind the door was a hidden stair in a narrow space. The stairs led them to a room upstairs. Helena guessed they used the structure of the place to hide the meeting place. Adham knocked on the door and spoke his name before entering the room. "This is Whitesmithe."

"Come in."

They stepped inside and looked around the room. The meeting place of the information guild would have couches, fancy carpets or expensive decorations in the story Helena read. Yet, that room was akin to a workplace rather than a room to receive a guest. There were two wooden chairs, cupboards filled with files, a desk and a single lamp on the ceiling. 

Helena saw a man sitting behind his desk. He was in his forties or older from his appearance. That man had a white moustache and stubble on his face. He wore a white shirt and tied his grey hair into a low ponytail. His amber eyes stared at Helena from head to toe. 

"Hey, Adham! I heard you brought women here. You finally bring your partner!"

"Shut it, old man. She is a customer. She paid me, so I could not refuse." 

He chuckled and stood up from his seat. "No wonder you work on a holiday. "

Helena was intrigued by his interaction with Adham. "You guys know each other?" 

"I raised this brat." He walked to him and rubbed his head against Adham's head. The younger man just pouted at the childish treatment. 

"Cut it out! You embarrassed me!"

"Aw, you hurt this old man." He wept dramatically. "I cannot believe such a sweet boy turns into a brat. When you were five, you kept clinging to me and-"

"NOOOO!" Adham closed that man's mouth with his hand. His face was red from embarrassment. "We are here for work. Stop telling everyone about my childhood!"

"I guess this lady is looking for some information?"

 That man somehow recognised her. "You know me?"

"Helena Blackmoore, right?" He moved closer to her. "You are not as famous as the three Princes of this country, but you are a well-known person in the street. A selfless young woman raised from commoner to nobility with the title "Saint". It is a wonderful fairy tale for the general public."

He bowed down like a gentleman and kissed her hand. "My name is Siegfried. So, what can I do for this lovely young lady?"

Helena glanced at her maid. "Can you leave me, Violet?"

Violet looked reluctant but obeyed her master's command. "Of course. I'll be waiting outside."

Adham yawned and turned around. "Well, I'm done with my work. I will be downstairs if you need me."

He left and closed the door, leaving her alone with the guild master. Siegfried stared at her grey eyes. "Time to do business. What brought you here?"

Helena sat in front of him. "I'm looking for information about Paradise Star." 

He was perplexed by her statement and tilted his head. "Let me confirm something first. Do you know anything about Paradise Star?"

She shook her head. "Not at all. Why?"

"Well, that explains your lack of surprise." He fixed his glasses. "Paradise Star is a cult."

Helena could not believe what she had heard. She was horrified to learn about the truth. "A what..."

"You heard me. It is a cult."

She remembered the demon's words.

"Blame the cult that brought me to the world."

This new information shook her core. "Oh, God…. That bastard did not lie. It was a clue behind my regression. The cult caused me to get back into the past, but why? I was never involved with them in the first place!"

"Hello to Lady Blackmoore. Are you there?"

Helena snapped out of her thoughts. "Sorry, my mind wonders for a moment."

Siegfried nodded and continued his explanation. "Paradise Star was a cult involved in illegal substance, human sacrifice and trafficking, kidnaping, killing and scamming. No one knows the structure or the leader of the establishment. It was a very discreet group to cater for people with money." Siegfried took out his pipe from the desk. He turned on his lighter and began to smoke. "The cult held a secret underground party or black market to pawn their slave and items. You need to be a member or receive the invitation to attend it."

Helena was thinking in silence. It looked like the cult was a structured syndicate rather than a bunch of thugs and scammers. "How do I get the invitation?"

 "If we know, we won't stay still like this. The cult is a dangerous organisation. The royalty hunts it like tomorrow with no avail."

She frowned at his tales. "The royalty is after a cult? It is a huge secret. Why does no one know about it?"

"You are a smart girl, have a guess."

Helena was thinking for a moment. Why would they hide a big thing like this? After a few seconds of brain-storming, she came to one conclusion. 

"They… involved in it?"

"Correct!"

Helena almost became speechless. "Really?"

"The cult is a slippery target. We know someone backs up Paradise Star from behind, but no one knows who does it. They suspect some high-ranking nobles pulled the string. The royalty hides it to prevent turbulence. Imagine how chaotic it will be if the truth comes out. The commoners will be angry at the noble, while the other nobles will be at each other throats."

"This is bigger than I thought."

Siegfried stood up from his seat. He walked through a cabinet to pick up a file and put it on his table. "This is our investigation about Paradise Star."

Helena took and read the files. It was full of missing people related to the cult and dead knights found after investigation. The cult had a symbol of a snake coiled around a sword with a star above it. Helena staggered after she reached the last paper. She finished reading everything in five minutes. Her eyebrows frowned at the lack of material. "Wait, that's it? No more information?"

"No, and that will be ten gold, but I'll give you a half discount. Think of it as the first customer price."

Helena rolled her eyes and took out the gold. Siegfried grinned at the sight of the pouch. She knew where Adham received his greedy expression now. 

"Glad to do business with you. Just one question. Why are you looking into Paradise Star?"

She glared and answered him with a cold voice. "I have no obligation to answer it."

Siegfried understood his place. "Of course, my apologies. I hope you will return."

"Sure, if I need to find information."

Siegfried watched Helena leave the room with a smile on his face. After she closed the door, he dropped the kind act. He sat behind his desk and touched his head. Siegfried pulled out a paper and wrote something on it.

"This is for the best."

Helena went downstairs alone and smacked her forehead. She forgot her way out from the stairs. Helena was lucky that Adham was waiting in the backroom for her.

 "Are you done talking with the old man?"

"Yes. Thank you for waiting. I don't remember the direction to the tavern."

"Well, your maid is waiting outside and making a fuss. She said something about how awful you are at direction, so I am here to escort you back."

Helena covered her face in shame. She could imagine Violet throwing a tantrum right in front of the bar. Helena shifted the conversation before the embarrassment took over. "Do you know Mister Siegfried for a long time? Both of you look close."

"He is my guardian. Siegfried was the one who found me on the street and brought me to the orphanage. He taught me survival skills and swordsmanship. You can say I owe my life to him."

Helena's heart sank hearing it. Adham never talks about his family before. Perhaps her background as noble became a burden to him. He restrained himself in the past

 to make her happy.

Helena had found what she was looking for. It was time to go back with Violet. Before Helena returned to her mansion, she mentioned her gratitude to Adham. "Thank you for your help. I am sorry to mess up your holiday."

He showed off his coin pouch. "Don't worry about it. I already received compensation."

Helena went home feeling puzzled. However, she came to a few new conclusions and wrote down everything in her book. First, there was a darn cult hiding in this kingdom. Second, the cult managed to summon a demon. Third, the demon returned her to the past under someone's wish. 

Who was crazy and desperate enough to accept a demon deal?

Helena slumped on the bed. She was exhausted after learning the hard truth about Paradise Star. She never expected her opponent to be a whole cult. Helena now must prepare herself against the worst scenario.

"I think it's time to build some strength."